1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electronic equipment management system for systematically monitoring the usage and status of devices on a computing network.
2. Description of Related Art
Some types of business equipment are typically purchased by users while others are more often leased. For example, copiers are often leased rather than purchased. The preference for leasing copiers is due to the high costs of ownership and the rapid progress of copier technology. In addition, companies that lease copiers typically have service technicians in the field who can check the usage of each copier so that lease rates can be based on usage.
In contrast, other office equipment, such as printers and facsimile machines, are not normally leased. In part, this is because these devices typically do not include features for monitoring use (e.g., page count) and because printers and facsimile machines are not supported by a sufficient number of service personnel in the field. There are, therefore, not enough personnel to read the usage of each machine. Without systems for monitoring and assessing a printer's usage and requirements, it is difficult to find an efficient method to calculate a proper billing under a lease.
Thus, even though business-class, high-volume printers may have ownership costs and technological development rates similar to copiers, there are fundamental barriers to managing printers that are not found in the management of copiers, the industry has, therefore, not adopted a leasing model for printers. There is, therefore, a need for improved methods of monitoring the usage and status of printers and other office equipment.